Matt Adams, host of Fairways of Life, chats with Trauma 1 Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Michael Maloney to talk through Tiger’s injuries and prognosis moving forward…

Legendary, Hall of Fame athlete Annika Sorenstam appeared on Fairways of Life hosted by Matt Adams to discuss her return to competition on the LPGA Tour.

Written by Steve Eubanks for LPGA.com….

In a week when she made headlines by announcing plans to compete again for the first time in 13 years, LPGA Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam spent some quality time with Matt Adams on his show “Fairways of Life” to discuss her decision and what she expects when she tees off at the Gainbridge LPGA at Lake Nona on February 25.

“I’ve just been playing a little bit of golf in the last year,” the 10-time major champion said. “Our son has been getting into it and with COVID such a big part of our lives now, we’ve been limited in what we can do, so golf has become a big part of our lives. We have been able to go out and have fun and play together.

“I wasn’t looking to play, that’s not what I do now, I’m a full-time mom,” Sorenstam said. “But just looking to play in some events later in the summer (most notably the U.S. Senior Women’s Open for which the recently turned 50-year-old is now eligible), you need some tournament rounds. And when I played at Diamond Resorts (Tournament of Champions, in the celebrity division) I was a little rusty.”

Sorenstam covered that and other topics in a wide-ranging interview that can be seen here:

PONTE VEDRA, Fla. (PRWEB) January 27, 2021

Sports Pub Media, LLC today announced the official launch of SportsPub, a golf betting content platform hosted at http://www.sportspub.com. SportsPub gives fans access to picks, high level analysis from people who actually know what they’re talking about, and down-to-earth (often hilarious) conversations about the world of golf betting.

“We deliver content that is unfiltered and entertaining to a sport that needs more unique voices and opinions,” said James Kjellman, director of golf for SportsPub. “Our main goal is to have fun, laugh, entertain, and engage closely with our fans. We want our fans to feel like they are right there with us.”

As part of the launch of SportsPub, Travis Fulton and Jonathan ‘The Coach’ Coachman host a weekly video and podcast show called ‘Cash-out with the Coaches.’ The show features golf betting tips and picks, as well as interviews with famous sports stars and other celebrities.

Follow this link for this week’s Cash-out with the Coaches show: https://youtu.be/RuYOv6kYMOQ

“I am beyond excited about the partnership with SportsPub,” said Travis Fulton. “The Coach and I will be hosting the show every Tuesday to talk about our picks for the upcoming PGA TOUR events. In addition to some amazing guests on the show, our viewers will see a lot of banter, laughter and competition between the two of us.”

“Cash-out with the Coaches is a blast,” said Jonathan Coachman. “With SportsPub, we get to be candid and have opinions about the world of golf. Travis and I are both extremely competitive and fans of the show will quickly see this. I can’t wait to crush him in our competitions.”

The 2020-21 wrap-around season for the PGA TOUR features 50 tournaments, including 14 tournaments that were postponed or cancelled in the previous season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The schedule features the most tournaments since 1975, providing a tremendous opportunity for SportsPub to launch with an exciting season already underway.

Mobile and online sports betting is now legal and available in 15 states within the United States, with many more not far behind. The United States is set to become the largest sports betting market in the world with the expectation that it will be an $8 billion industry by 2025.

To get the best golf picks and analysis each week, follow SportsPub:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sportspubmedia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sportspubmedia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sportspubmedia

For more information about SportsPub or information about partnerships, please contact James Kjellman: jamesk@sportspub.com

ORLANDO, Fla. (Jan. 27, 2021) – Lauren Thompson, one of GOLF Channel’s most popular on-air personalities, will continue to champion the sport of golf in her next role, announcing today she has joined GolfNow and Clubhouse Solutions, two of the businesses within the NBC Sports Group digital portfolio.

Thompson primarily will serve as the host of the Clubhouse Bulletin, a white-label video newsletter offering by Clubhouse Solutions, which recaps monthly member news for participating private clubs throughout the U.S. She also will host other promotional and business videos for GolfNow, which operates golf’s leading online tee-time marketplace and is the industry’s No. 1 technology and services provider to more than 9,000 golf courses around the world.

“I’m excited to kick off my 2021 partnership with GolfNow and Clubhouse Solutions,” said Thompson, who served as a co-host for Golf Channel’s Morning Drive show for more than seven years. “Both companies have seen record growth and I could not be prouder of the various projects I’ll have the honor of joining. Keep a lookout for us … we’re coming in hot!”

“We’re very pleased Lauren is now part of our team and will be representing our growing brands,” said Jerramy Hainline, senior vice president and general manager, GolfNow. “Not only has she earned a stellar reputation from her on-air work on Morning Drive and other NBC projects, but she’s also excited to help us advocate for the sport of golf and the people who work in the golf course industry.”

About GolfNow 

GolfNow is an innovative technology company that creates seamless ways for golfers and golf courses to better connect. GolfNow operates the largest online tee-time marketplace in the world, offering 3.5 million registered golfers a variety of ways to stay connected to their favorite courses and the ability to easily book tee times online and via mobile devices any time of day. GolfPass members receive special playing perks through GolfNow, including tee time credit and rewards. GolfNow, part of the NBC Sports Group with offices in Orlando, Fla., and Belfast, Northern Ireland, also provides technology, support and marketing services to more than 9,000 golf courses in 24 countries around the world.

About Clubhouse Solutions

Clubhouse Solutions, a division within NBC Sports Group’s family of golf brands, offers tangible solutions dedicated to the success of private golf and country clubs through best-in-class technology, services and expertise. Focusing on four themes – member engagement, administrative time savings, revenue generation, cost savings – Clubhouse Solutions’ services are designed to help clubs attain their goals and reach their fullest potential. Clubhouse Solutions also offers ClubBuy, a free group-purchasing organization used by hundreds of private clubs in the golf industry and beyond.

Two months in, the PGA Tour’s reformulated season is posting big ratings for professional golf even as other college and pro sports face hiccups in playing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The PGA Tour got a jump on Major League Baseball, which was sidelined into late July, and found an audience from sports fans who’d been starved of basketball and hockey playoffs in the spring. Golf is also a hot sports-betting commodity at the moment.

From the Tour’s restart in June through the FedEx St. Jude Invitational, which finished Aug. 2, golf broadcast ratings on CBS and NBC were up 23% versus the same events last season. PGA Tour Live subscriptions have jumped 67% since play resumed.

The season-ending FedEx Cup playoffs began Thursday, at a time Covid-19 continues to disrupt normal life in much of the U.S. and has killed over 170,000 Americans. But the PGA Tour has found a way to continue while criss-crossing the country with different fields of players each week. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-coronavirus-dash/

Aside from the concern for everyone’s safety, the Tour and its members have a lot to lose by not playing. The three-month hiatus that started in March translated to 11 Tour events being canceled for the year and various tournament dates reshuffled.

Well over $100 million in prize-money would have been forfeited if the Tour hadn’t returned this season, said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

Playoff Season

At the FedEx Cup playoffs, 125 players are competing over three weeks for their share of $60 million in bonus money, with the champion taking home a whopping $15 million.

The field will be winnowed after this week’s Northern Trust tournament near Boston, and again after the BMW Championship outside of Chicago. Thirty pros will tee it up at the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

“There’s a big financial loss if we have to stop play,” said Billy Horschel, a former FedEx Cup champion. “The Tour’s going to take a big hit, our sponsors are going to take a big hit, every player’s bank account is going to take a big hit.”

Every week without a Tour event was costly. Revenue evaporated from pro-am events, hospitality services and fans. Even with the return to play, many traditional revenue streams have yet to follow.

While the short-term impact is significant, Monahan believes the Tour and the sport of golf can capitalize on its unique situation. “We are a sport that can continue to excel in a Covid world,” he said.

Betting Bonanza

In New Jersey, the top golf event on the DraftKings Inc. sports betting site was the 2019 U.S. Open, but since the restart six Tour events have topped that major, according to a company spokesperson.

The game of golf, well suited to social distancing, has seen a bump as well. In June, rounds played in the U.S. were up 13.9% from a year ago, according to the National Golf Foundation.

There are regular reminders that things are far from normal. Through last week’s event, nine PGA Tour players and three caddies had tested positive for the virus, out of over 3,000 on-site tests conducted.

“Nobody really knew what we were getting into when we first started,” PGA Tour player Hank Lebioda said of the return to play. Lebioda has Crohn’s disease, and his treatment leaves him immunocompromised. While he was anxious about what golf life would be like in Covid times, he’s impressed with the safety measures the Tour has taken.

‘Above and Beyond’

“The Tour is doing above and beyond everything they can to assure us that we are participating and competing in the safest environment possible,” Lebioda said. “I feel better here at a golf tournament than I do at home.”

The PGA Tour implemented various rules to limit potential Covid exposure. Locker rooms have been restricted to players and attendants who are tested for the virus, clubhouse gyms are closed, and other amenities like omelette stations have given way to grab-and-go food options.

Charter flights between events are offered for players and caddies, with travelers tested before departure. “Those have been the best thing in my life,” Collin Morikawa, the 23-year-old PGA Championship winner, said of the flights.

The resumption hasn’t been perfect. During the week leading up to the Travelers Championship outside of Hartford, Connecticut, in June, the third event after the restart, there were positive cases among a player and caddies who’d been on-site for practice rounds.

‘Wake-Up Call’

“It was a wake-up call,” Monahan said, adding that there was never a discussion about shutting the season down again.

The Tour tightened its protocols after that, including requiring all players and caddies to test negative before they could enter a tournament site. Previously, players could be on site to practice outdoors as they awaited results.

“The Hartford was a great awakening for us because it showed us that this happens on a weekly basis. If this was to explode even more, then we wouldn’t be playing,” Horschel said.

“Normal” is still a long way away. Tour officials say they’re in “phase 1.5” of a five-phase plan, having introduced a small number of sponsors and partners at events in the last few weeks.

Slow and Steady

Getting spectators back on-site isn’t in the cards for the immediate future, and the Tour hasn’t identified any events in the fall season where that could happen, Monahan said.

“We’re on a path here, we still have more work to do and we’re certainly not claiming victory,” he said.

Matt Adams, host of Fairways of Life, interview Golf Datatech’s Tom Stein to discuss the health of the golf industry in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

To celebrate the return of the PGA TOUR this week at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Travis Fulton and DraftKings have partnered to help fans get back into the swing of Daily Fantasy Sports.

Fulton will produce and post a new show, The Match Up, each Wednesday to his Instagram and YouTube channels to guide viewers through the tournament and course at hand, four key head to head matchs to consider and finally, Travis’ personal line up for the week.

Viewers can use the promo code “Travis” to establish their account and receive a free entry into that week’s 2.5 Million Dollar contest with 1 Million Dollars to the winner.

The first episode of The Match Up Presented by Draft Kings:

As the PGA TOUR returns at Colonial Country Club this week for the Charles Schwab Challenge, Matt Adams and Ben Hogan Golf visited the famed “Hogan Room” in the clubhouse of Colonial Country Club.

Brandon Matthews doesn’t want to be known for one thing. But he is: The hug he gave a fan with Down syndrome whose involuntary shriek bothered his short putt that would have extended a playoff at the 2019 Argentina Open, where the winner received a spot in the 2020 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. That’s the only reason anyone who remembers the ending to the story, told in heartwarming detail on “The Today Show,” knows who he is, as well as the only reason he’s getting his first PGA Tour start this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Among people who actually follow golf’s minor leagues, Matthews is known for a different thing: A guy who hits it crazy far.

“I think the rest of my game is pretty good, so it’s a shame that gets overlooked sometimes,” Matthews says, who is 25 years old and built like an athlete at 6’4″ and 215 pounds. “But hopefully it’ll get recognized in due time.”

Philadelphia humble, Matthews is reluctant to talk about his life as a bomber. But his girlfriend, Danielle, sums up his game best. “He makes grown men giggle.”

Matthews’ agent, Drew Carr of Fidelity Sports Group, tells a story about testing equipment with a major manufacturer in Carlsbad. They were on the range hitting balls, having a nice time, when the technician excused himself to fetch a replacement launch monitor. The Trackman he was using either wasn’t calibrated correctly or had a failing battery. But after he returned with the new machine and got it set up, the tech’s mild agitation turned to wonder. With a 3-wood, the machine displayed Matthews’ ball speed as consistently around 186 to 188 miles per hour.

“We don’t have anyone on our global tour staff with that ball speed with a driver,” the technician stammered.

After flaming out on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2019, making just four of 21 cuts although leading in driving distance at 331.3 yards, Matthews hooked up with instructor Dale Gray, an Aussie who used to coach one of golf’s more successful short-knockers, Tim Clark. Gray works out of the Chelsea Piers driving range in Manhattan, and he says Matthews could fly a limited-flight ball over the net and into the Hudson River from the ground-floor bays. “At cruising speed he’s swinging the driver 130 mph and flying it 350 yards in the air,” Gray says. Carr says he’s clocked Matthews with a 200-mph ball speed with a driver.

Long drives are golf’s equivalent of fishing stories. It was this big someone indicates with their hands. Even official stats are problematic with the vagaries of altitude, turf conditions and the limited number of holes measured. But I can personally attest to Matthews’ power. I’ve been wondering what became of him since we were paired in the medal-play portion of the 2013 U.S. Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. I was then 31, newly married with an office job and about to start a family, and so essentially was a senior citizen among the Division I hotshots lining the range. But I was ready to see how my weekend game stacked up against the new generation. This feeling of pluck lasted exactly two holes, until the first par 5, when Matthews outdrove me by 110 yards. I paced it off. Across two days, he was consistently about a buck ahead of me.

One of the few times I wrestled away the honors from Matthews, I hit a solid (for me) and well-placed (for anyone) driver on a dogleg-left par 4. “Three-iron at his ball,” Matthews’ caddie said oblivious to my feelings. The tee shot whistled just past mine, and inside I wept.

Matthews would go on to make the quarterfinals of that Amateur, won by Matthew Fitzpatrick. Earlier that summer, Matthews played his way into first-alternate for the U.S. Open at Merion, but did not get in. After graduating from Temple University, he turned pro in 2016 and won his second-career start on PGA Tour Latinoamerica. Despite all this talent, he’s earned his first career PGA Tour start not because of his game but because of his character, as the Palmer family recognized in his gesture in Argentina what Arnie might’ve done.

Yet I’m still haunted. “Be brutally honest with me,” I now ask Matthews. “Am I the shortest hitter you’ve ever played with in a sanctioned event?”

“No, definitely not. You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” Matthews laughs. I have the feeling he’s treating me like he did the Argentine fan. It’s OK, bud, it’s just the Open.

“Have you ever played with anyone who’s longer than you?”

Matthews recalls nine practice holes he once played with Cam Champ. “That’s about as close as it gets. He might get me on a firmer day with how penetrating his ball-flight is. But soft conditions with no wind, my carry distance might be a little more than his.”

‘He makes grown men giggle.’ —Matthews’ girlfriend on how far he hits a golf ball

Of course, Champ is a year younger and already has two PGA Tour wins. To catch up, Matthews has dedicated himself to a swing overhaul to improve his consistency and save his lower back. Dale Gray describes the original move as: “He rolled the club inside on the takeaway, then at the top lifted his arms up to where the face was quite open, then on the way down got steep and stuck on the inside, then would extend early with his body through impact to create some room. His miss was high and right. Obviously, with his ball speed, any miss is going to be pretty much off the golf course.

“Now he’s got the club more in front of his body on the way down,” Gray says. “With his amazing athleticism, his ability to maximize the full potential of his hands, arms and body working together, it’s fun to watch.” Gray has also thrown the 3-wood and 5-wood out of Matthews’ bag. “When he can carry his 2-iron 290, there’s no need for those.”

After scouting Bay Hill, Matthews’ options at the 555-yard par sixth will probably either be 2-iron off the tee followed by a 3-iron into the green, or a driver followed by a 7- or 8-iron. Matthews also has a number of par 4 greens he might try to drive. Carr shakes his head no, playing the part of beleaguered agent. “We just got to get the horse in the starting paddock.”

Barring a sensational week at Bay Hill that changes his schedule, Matthews is preparing for the 2020 season of PGA Tour Latinoamerica. “There’s a new rule this year where three wins equates instant promotion to the Korn Ferry, so I’ve got my eye on that,” he says.

That would be something to be known for.

OnCore Golf Technology has signed world-renowned instructor and golf media personality Travis Fulton as its newest global brand ambassador to a multi-year agreement to promote OnCore Golf and its innovative products and technologies.

Over the past decade, Fulton has emerged as a leading teacher and instructional voice in the industry. After several successful years with Golf Channel where he was a key instructional host for programs such as “On the Range” and “Morning Drive,” Fulton has focused recent efforts on developing his own media platform and content via the @travisfultongolf Instagram account. He is also a regular contributor to Golf Digest and PGA TOUR Entertainment. Fulton operates signature golf academies in Jacksonville, Florida and Evansville, Indiana in addition to his online training programs. Prior to launching his own academies, he served as Director of Instruction at famed TPC Sawgrass.

OnCore entered the industry 7 years ago and has achieved a reputation of developing and launching best-in-class golf balls with real innovation and new technologies behind them. They have, in Senior Technical Advisor John Calabria, one of the industry’s most accomplished golf ball design engineers who has created award winning golf balls culminating in OnCore’s ELIXR tour ball. In addition to the Golf Digest Hot List award-winning ELIXR and AVANT55 balls, OnCore continues to lead with technology – announcing in recent weeks the iPuttTM ball – an incredible advancement in the merger of embedded electronic sensor technology and golf balls. And the company shows no sign of slowing down, recently filing additional patents for both conventional and “Internet of Things” golf balls, while also unveiling their plans for an amazing golf and sports entertainment complex in Buffalo, NY.

Co-founder Bret Blakely commented: “We are extremely excited about this partnership with Travis Fulton. Not only is he a voice that people trust because of his vast experience and expertise but his presence and ability to connect with his audience is something that we know OnCore will benefit greatly from.”

“I tested the OnCore golf ball earlier this year and was so impressed with their unique technology,” says Fulton. “We often hear about the benefits of perimeter weighting in golf clubs and OnCore has brought that to the golf ball. From our discussions to date, I know they have some really exciting developments in the works that I look forward to being a part of and helping to promote.”

ABOUT ONCORE GOLF TECHNOLOGIES:

OnCore is dedicated to delivering breakthrough technology and innovation, while inspiring golfers at all skill levels and abilities. The company entered the golf ball industry through development of the first-ever commercially available USGA-conforming hollow metal core ball and has since developed a growing suite of differentiated products distributed worldwide that now includes the five-star-rated low-compression AVANT and the top-performing ELIXR tour ball. The company has relationships with legendary golfers including Allen Geiberger and Gary Player and is backed by several significant investors including Rand Capital (NASDAQ: RAND), Charles Schwab, Angel Capital Group, and NYS Innovation Incubation Fund, among others.

www.oncoregolf.com
Instagram – @oncoregolf
Twitter – @oncoregolf

Lamkin Corporation – leading manufacturer of premium golf grips – signs renowned instructor and golf media personality Travis Fulton as its newest brand ambassador to help promote the company’s products around the world.

Over the past decade, Fulton has emerged as a leading teacher and instructional voice in the industry. After several successful years with Golf Channel where he was a key instructional host for programs such as “On The Range” and “Morning Drive,” Fulton has focused recent efforts on developing his own media platform and content via the @travisfultongolf Instagram account. He is also a regular contributor to Golf Digest and PGA TOUR Entertainment. Fulton operates signature golf academies in Jacksonville, Florida and Evansville, Indiana in addition to his online training programs. Prior to launching his own academies, he served as Director of Instruction at famed TPC Sawgrass.

“Travis is among the most accomplished and credible instructors in the world, having a built a large and loyal following of students and avid golfers who rely on his advice to help them play their best,” says Bob Lamkin, CEO of Lamkin Grips. “As we look to our 2020 plan and beyond Travis’ wealth of knowledge and understanding of the golf swing will play an integral role as we further develop swinging and putting grips to meet the discerning needs of all golfers. He will be a key asset for Lamkin as we roll out new initiatives and content for both trade and consumer audiences.”

As part of the multi-year agreement, Fulton will appear in the company’s marketing campaigns, on social media channels and in PGA Continuing Education materials using Lamkin grips on his personal clubs during all instructional and content engagements. He will also develop educational and entertaining brand content to be shared via his personal social media channels.

“I have played Lamkin almost all my life as it is one of the most respected brands in the industry,” says Fulton. “For nearly 100 years they’ve been on the leading-edge of innovation in the golf grip category and what I see on the horizon in their strategic direction is nothing short of incredible.”

“The average golfer clearly overlooks the importance of finding the right grip, maintaining their grips and regripping with correct regularity and my goal with Lamkin is to educate consumers and teachers not only on the vital importance grips play in overall performance, but also how differing grips are best suited to player types and playing conditions,” adds Fulton.

Fulton joins PGA TOUR superstar Justin Rose as a brand ambassador. Rose is among a large and growing number of top players around the globe who rely on Lamkin grips to win in competition. Lamkin has established its excellent reputation for unrivaled quality thanks to world-class engineering, premium materials and handcrafted, repeatable production techniques. Among the popular lines offered by the company are SONAR, Crossline, SINKFit Putter Grips, UTx and many more. 

For more details on Lamkin’s range of innovative golf grips and to keep up with the latest news from the company, please see visit the links below.

More information: www.Lamkingrips.com

Get social: @LamkinGrips

ABOUT LAMKIN GRIPS

Lamkin Grips’ golf heritage dates back to 1925 when founder Elver B. Lamkin began manufacturing golf’s first leather grips. Today, the family-owned business delivers the industry’s widest assortment of performance-enhancing golf grips that continue to earn loyal customers worldwide. Through their ongoing dedication to unequaled product quality and service support, Lamkin Grips is passionately committed to connecting golfers to a more confident, consistent and enjoyable game.

Matt Adams sat down with Gary Williams on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive to discuss his new book “The Golf Round I’ll Never Forget”

Justin Lower joined the No Laying Up crew to share his personal journey as well as his path as a professional golfer.

Justin lost his brother and father in a fatal car accident when he was 15 years old. The tragedy is something he carries with himself each day as he honors their memory and works to achieve his dream of playing on the PGA Tour.

Click Here For Full Podcast Episode

Justin Lower is used to it by now. People just can’t pronounce his last name correctly.

It rhymes with ‘Power.’

And since he’s inside The 25 at the halfway point of the Web.com Tour’s 2019 season, he’s hoping that a trip to the PGA TOUR will make sure no one mispronounces his name again.

Lower has four top-25 finishes this year, including a runner-up result at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS, which was his best-ever Web.com Tour finish.

The former baseball player still loves the game – he threw out the first pitch at a Cleveland Indians game last year – along with all the sports teams from Cleveland. He’s also got some great stories of watching the WGC-Bridgestone every year at Firestone as a youngster. And, he’s moved back to Ohio recently as he prepares to marry a girl he’s known since high school, Janise, this September.

But Lower has also experienced terrible loss, with his father and younger brother dying in a car accident nearly 15 years ago.

The 30-year-old spent a few minutes with PGA TOUR Digital chatting about all the highs, and one tough low, in his life to this point.

• FeaturesLifelong Cleveland sports fan Justin Lower throw Indians first pitch

How would you assess your 2019 season?  

I want to be more consistent. I feel like I play well on the weekends, so I feel like if I can get into a winning mindset beforehand, I don’t have to worry about getting into the weekend and playing well. I told my fiancée, I hate missing cuts. I have FOMO about it (laughs). I want to play on weekends. I just want to play every weekend because I feel like it’s more fun on the weekends. The crowds get more into it. It’s just more fun for me. It has been an inconsistent year, but it has had some bright spots like the second-place finish in Louisiana, but I’d really like to be more consistent.

To be more consistent, is it something you need to work on golf swing-wise, or mentally?

It’s the mental approach/attitude for sure. (In Knoxville) I didn’t have the best attitude and that hurt, for sure. I liked (Fox Den Country Club) and I feel like I could have done really well. I’ve had success there before. I was pretty disappointed with myself. I’m just trying to have a good mental attitude about everything – especially a positive attitude. I’m just trying to build on that for sure.

When did you realize, growing up, that you wanted to make a living out of playing golf?

In high school, you always dream about it, same with college. I didn’t think I could do it until my junior year of college. That’s when I started playing really well and shooting low scores … not really consistently but it would pop up more often, which was nice. You get that confidence. I had a really good year my junior year of college and that gave me the confidence to know I could do it.

Growing up in the northern U.S., what did you do in the winters?

In college I would hang (my clubs) up a bit. We had indoor facilities we’d go to in college, and I still go to some of the same ones. I just recently moved back to Ohio last July, so I spent all this past winter mainly up there. I came down to Florida about a week before the Bahamas, mainly just to get some reps in on grass (laughs). I was able to play quite a bit (in Ohio) but it’s not the same. It’s nice to actually play and see the ball actually fly and not hit a net 70 yards in front of me. In college I’d hang them up and play basketball or just do indoor stuff and hit the gym. Now that it’s my livelihood, I’m a little more serious at it and don’t put (the clubs) away for too long, maybe a day or two. I’ve got a good system of places up north I can go to. Luckily enough the basement in our new house is big enough (where) I can swing. I’ve put a net in there and kind of made a makeshift putting green. It’s maintenance stuff; I’m not really grinding down there.

Why did you decide to move back to Ohio?

I’m getting married in September and it’s just hard on my fiancée. We’re gone for long periods of time so it was just easier to be close to family for the both of us, not just her. It’s a nice change. We were in Charlotte, North Carolina before that which was nice; the weather was good and we loved it, but we just wanted to be closer to family.

• FeaturesJustin Lower and NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier swap driving lessons

How did you guys meet?

We actually went to high school together but there was no romantic interest. Not even a friendship interest, really. She claims I didn’t talk in high school, but she was the one who wouldn’t even talk to me back then (laughs). We grew up in the same small town and we kept in touch. We got talking again at the end of 2013 and started officially dating in the beginning of 2014.

Speaking of Ohio, how excited are you for all the moves the Cleveland Browns made this offseason?

Oh my gosh. It’s exciting for sure. It’s kind of like the Cavaliers were the past couple years before LeBron left again. With northeast Ohio in general being a football town, it could be really exciting if they start to play well. It’s a lot of talent on paper and I’m a little worried about that. Hopefully it’ll translate over, especially with a first-year head coach; that kind of worries me as well, but I think we’ve got the right tools for sure. We just need to get everyone to gel together. And the schedule is somewhat brutal. I would be happy with 10-6, I think it would secure a wildcard spot and maybe get the division. I think Pittsburgh will hold their own; they always have our number. I don’t think Cincinnati is anything to worry about. Baltimore is on the downfall – but what do I know? (laughs).

Did you play other sports growing up?

I played baseball growing up. I thought I was pretty good at it. I batted leadoff and played second base and I would play outfield from time-to-time. I loved playing baseball … It was all I wanted to do up until I was 12 or 13. I just loved playing Little League and I played on travel teams and I had a lot of fun doing it. But I would always get into hitting slumps when golf season would start back up, and that’s not really what you want your leadoff hitter to be (laughs).

Were you so good at baseball that you had to formally choose between the two sports?

I had to choose and it was a tough decision, but I chose golf. I liked the individual aspect of golf more. It’s all on you. And the competitiveness of it … I like to compete, at anything really. That’s what I liked about it for sure.

Web.com Tour✔@WebDotComTour

Making Northeast Ohio proud.

Justin Lower (@JustinLower_1) came through in the clutch to secure a spot in the top 45 at Final Stage … and guaranteed #WebTour starts in 2018.4711:08 PM – Dec 10, 201715 people are talking about thisTwitter Ads info and privacy

One of your earliest memories of professional golf is watching Tiger Woods at Firestone Country Club, where they hosted the WGC-Bridgestone for many years. What do you remember most?

I just remember going there every year with my dad; we’d go once, maybe twice in a week when it came to town, and then I started volunteering for the tournament so I would get more access that way. I think I volunteered for the Bridgestone one year and then for the Senior PGA Championship in 2002 when it came to town. With Tiger, I remember the shot in the dark – I was there earlier in the day, but I left when the rain delay happened. I remember being there Friday when he shot 61, and Saturday he started birdie-eagle-birdie but then he parred out. It was just craziness. He was lapping the field. He played with Jose Maria Olazabal who had the course record, but Tiger tied it. Jose Maria was in contention but then Tiger, in typical Tiger fashion, he grew the lead and never relinquished it. He played with Hal Sutton the last day in 2000, and I remember going to a clinic he put on the Monday morning before he left and they had it at the public nine of Firestone. He was hitting on the back of the green down the fairway. The way that green is, it’s kind of a stadium setting so everyone was sitting on grass. It was pretty cool; it was him and Butch Harmon. That’s what I remember about it for sure.

Since you just turned 30, I assume Tiger is the main professional golfer who inspired you growing up?

Oh yeah, for sure. You ask anyone out here and Tiger is the answer. It’s crazy because even some guys who don’t like him, you still see his mannerisms. When you hit a bad shot, he made it cool to finish one-handed. Walking in putts. Fist pumps. Even if you don’t like him, the mannerisms bleed into what you’re doing because he made it look so good and effortless. He is the needle of golf, and 99 percent of the time it’s for good reasons.

Tell me the story about throwing out the first pitch at the Cleveland Indians game?

It was the week of the DAP Championship, and it was on Tuesday. I’ve never been on field level at a major league setting. I think I played it wrong (laughs). I like to be on time, but I got there way too early. They kind of iced me. I was nowhere near ready to throw out a first pitch. No warm-up, no nothing. There were four pitchers in front of me, and two were under the age of eight and they both got it over the plate. I had to put some air under (my pitch), I thought, because if I didn’t make it over the plate I was going to look like a moron. I didn’t throw it near as hard as I wanted to. I didn’t lob it, but I didn’t wing it in there. It may have been a strike, it may have been a ball – might have been a borderline call.

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If you do it again, you know what time to show up at now, at least?

Yes, absolutely! I went for batting practice beforehand, to watch. Then we had to leave, and I had to go back and check-in again to throw out the first pitch. We went down this long tunnel and they gave me the ball and were very adamant I hold on to it. Then they’re like, ‘You can go on the field now,’ but I felt like I was out there for half-an-hour. I had friends calling me from different parts of the stadium: “Look in right field!” and I saw five people standing there waving at me. It was kind of crazy.

I wanted to look around and take it all in, but I know they were pressed for time since I was the fifth pitch … just get it over with. I kind of did a little peek around, like, “Wow, this is pretty cool,” but I knew they were pressed for time.

With almost 15 years having gone by since you lost your father and brother to an accident, do you still feel the pain of that loss every day?

I would say it comes every other day. There are weeks that are worse than others, days that are worse than others. Like Father’s Day, it’s not easy. My brother’s birthday. My dad’s birthday. Easter. The holidays and their specific days aren’t easy, just because it’s family and those days are meant to be spent with family. It’s tough, but I have a great support system.

I think about them all the time, especially my brother. He was only 10 and he was five years younger than me, so it would have been really nice to have that relationship with him now. Now he’d be 24 going on 25 and … would he be caddying for me? Would he be traveling with me some weeks? Who knows where he’d be now? I’ll be honest, I see other guys have their dads out here … and it’s not jealously or envy, but just that I wish I would have one week with him out here. It’d be cool. Then I hear of stories around the world and the country where someone says, ‘Yeah I haven’t spoken to my dad in like 10 years.’ You know what I would give to speak with my dad just one time? It’s a different perspective on life for sure.

How has that support system been?

They’ve been great, especially my mom. It was a huge growing process for my mom and I. It was always my dad and myself and my mom and my brother. Once the accident happened, we weren’t like, re-introduced to each other but we were like, ‘Wow – nice to see you again.’ I grew really close with my mom once it happened. People around where I grew up, like the owner at my home golf course … he became a pretty close friend of mine. Just friends that I’ve had since that day, they’ve been nothing but supportive.

CBS and PGA Tour Entertainment teamed up to profile PGA Tour rookie Hank Lebioda and his journey not only to the PGA Tour but also his fight with Crohn’s Disease and how he manages the condition as he competes with the best in the world on a weekly basis.

Web.com Tour player Justin Hueber joined the crew at No Laying Up for Episode 2 of Wild World of Golf. Hueber pairs with Big Randy for a 9 hole alternate match agains Soly and Tron Carter.

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Lauren Thompson served as emcee and host for the Ambassador Dinner hosted by Mastercard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week.

Guests of Mastercard and industry VIPs enjoyed a private cocktail party and dinner at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge. During the evening, Lauren hosted panel discussions with Mastercard PGA Tour ambassadors including Tom Watson, Curtis Strange, Mark O’Meara, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell, Arinban Lahiri, Brandt Snedeker, Sam Burns and Beau Hossler.

The PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational presented by Mastercard will take place March 7th thru the 10th in Orlando, Florida.

Matt Adams asks Golf Channel insiders Tim Rosaforte and Jaime Diaz who they would take in 2019, Brooks Koepka or Dustin Johnson.